A television generally provides both video and audio to viewers. In some situations, such as in a gym, restaurant/bar, airport waiting area, etc., multiple TVs or other video display devices (each with different video content) may be provided for public viewing to multiple clients/patrons in a single large room. If the audio signals of each TV were also provided for public listening in these situations, the noise level in the room would be intolerable and the people would not be able to distinguish the audio from any single TV nor the voices in their own personal conversations. Consequently, it is preferable to mute the audio signals on each of the TVs in these situations in order to prevent audio chaos. Some of the people, however, may be interested in hearing the audio in addition to seeing the video of some of the display devices in the room, and each such person may be interested in the program that's on a different one of the display devices.
One suggested solution is for the close captioning feature to be turned on for some or all of the display devices, so the people can read the text version of the audio for the program that interests them. However, the close captions are not always a sufficient solution for all of the people in the room.
Another suggested solution is for the audio streams to be provided through relatively short-distance or low-power radio broadcasts within the establishment wherein the display devices are viewable. Each display device is associated with a different radio frequency. Thus, the people can view a selected display device while listening to the corresponding audio stream by tuning their radios to the proper frequency. Each person uses headphones or earbuds or the like for private listening. For this solution to work, each person either brings their own radio or borrows/rents one from the establishment.
In another solution in an airplane environment, passengers are provided with video content on display devices while the associated audio is provided through a network. The network feeds the audio stream to an in-seat console such that when a user plugs a headset into the console, the audio stream is provided for the user's enjoyment.